Why this ride
A 106 km one-way ride from near Richmond, about 2 h 37 of riding. The stops in between: West End and Scenic stretch near Lions Bay. Richmond is the high point. It tops out at about 1,200 m.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Mount Baker Cross-Border Loop · part 1
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 106 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 2 h 37
- Journey
- One way; return travel is separate
Distance and timing basis
The recorded total and the leg detail need reconciliation. Inspect the leg notes before using this record for timing or navigation. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Scenic road chapters
Sea-to-Sky Highway
Expect company on a summer weekend. Early is better than fast. For 56 km this is Sea-to-Sky Highway, a road with a name of its own and a reason for it.
Chapter facts
- Length
- 21 km
- Named road
- Sea-to-Sky Highway
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Richmond
Richmond is built on mud, and proud of it. The city occupies Lulu Island and neighbouring islands in the delta of the Fraser River, just south of Vancouver, land so flat and so low that much of it sits barely above sea level behind a ring of dykes. Vancouver's airport takes up Sea Island to the west, the North Shore mountains rise beyond the city skyline, and on a clear day Mount Baker floats above the delta to the southeast, a white volcano across the border in Washington.
Read the complete Richmond write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Mount Baker Cross-Border Loop is where the day begins. Next is Mount Baker Cross-Border Loop high point.
2. Richmond
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Richmond write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
You top out here; the road stops climbing. Next is Mount Baker Cross-Border Loop checkpoint 8.
3. Near West End
Vancouver's West End is one of the densest neighbourhoods in North America, a grid of apartment towers and old wooden houses squeezed between downtown, Stanley Park and English Bay, and yet it feels oddly relaxed. People walk everywhere, the streets are lined with trees, and at the end of every road, it seems, there is water or mountains or both. As the finish of a ride, it is hard to beat for atmosphere.
Read the complete Near West End write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
The route ends here after 150 km. Next is Scenic stretch near Lions Bay.
4. Scenic stretch near Lions Bay
Above Lions Bay stand the two granite peaks that gave the village its name, The Lions, visible from much of Vancouver and known to the Squamish people as the Twin Sisters. The village itself clings to steep slopes above Howe Sound, a scatter of houses among cedars and firs, with a small beach and a marina far below. It is a residential community rather than a stop with services, but the setting is spectacular.
Read the complete Scenic stretch near Lions Bay write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Scenic stretch near Lions Bay, late in the day. Next is Photo stop near Squamish.
5. Photo stop near Squamish
Squamish sits at the head of Howe Sound, about an hour north of Vancouver along the Sea-to-Sky Highway, and the first thing that hits you is the Stawamus Chief. This massive granite monolith rises sheer above the town and the highway, one of the largest granite formations in the world, and on any fine day you will see climbers inching up its faces.
Read the complete Photo stop near Squamish write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Finish at Photo stop near Squamish. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Scenic stretch near Lions Bay to Photo stop near Squamish
Scenic stretch near Lions Bay → Photo stop near Squamish is 21 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
More motorcycle rides nearby
- Duffy Lake Road Loop · short arc · 313 km
- Duffy Lake Road Loop · 346 km
- Kootenay Rockies Weekend · 268 km
- Mount Baker Cross-Border Loop · 343 km